A birthday wish
by Kat097
Summary: Written for Kagirinaku's birthday. It's Hermione's birthday and it looks like Ron and Harry have forgotten. Hermione has a chat with Moaning Myrtle and Cho Chang about it and they give her advice.


Disclaimer: I own zilch. 

DEDICACTED TO LORS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LORSIE!

You're a great friend Lorsie! You supported me right from the beginning with 'Where do I go from here?' So here's a fic especially for you. 

A Birthday Wish.

Hermione Granger looked down at her potions homework miserably. How could they have forgotten? Both of them! They had no trouble remembering their own birthdays. But they forgot hers. She's reminded them as well. Was it so hard to remember? The nineteenth of September. Today was the eighteenth. There was less than six hours to sixteen years.

Sixteen. Sweet bloody sixteen. Wasn't too sweet so far. 

She slammed her book closed. They both looked up, shocked

"Are you ok Hermione?" Harry asked. Hermione glared at him.

"Fine. Just, fine." She hissed. Ron looked worried

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm just going to bed."

"Hermione, it's only 7:30." Harry pointed out. Hermione stormed away, out of the portrait hole, wanting to be miserable. And she knew the best place. 

"Go away!" Myrtle sobbed. Hermione splashed through the water and sat on a window sill

"No. I want to stay here."

"Why? To make fun of me? Is that it?" Myrtle cried loudly. Hermione shook her head

"I'm just upset, ok? My two 'best friends' have forgotten it's my birthday tomorrow."

"At least you still get birthdays." Myrtle pointed out. Hermione shrugged and said

"Doesn't really matter if no one remembers."  They sat in silence for a moment, ghost and human in harmonic misery. Then Myrtle said

"Maybe they're planning a surprise party."

"Myrtle, I adore Harry and Ron, but I won't deny the fact that they play a considerably small part in the brain pool of this school." Myrtle looked at her

"But you have friends. I never had friends."

"Not one?"

"Not one. Everyone hated me. Or at least Olive Hornby and her friends did and everyone avoided me rather than be bullied by them." 

"I was like that at primary school. I was the clever girl who sat by herself in the playground and read books. No friends, never got invited to parties. Just bullied." Hermione mulled the thought over in her mind. Myrtle picked at an invisible zit on her chin and said nonchalantly

"Well, would you rather you were me?"

"No! I mean, no, because I wouldn't be able to pick up books and read." Hermione said. The ghost girl sniffed and sent a tidal wave towards the door, saying 

"I wasted my life."

"I'm sure you didn't."

"Oh, I did. I cowered away, and hid from others. I ended up dead in a toilet cubicle. Don't do what I did. You don't realise how great life is until it's gone." Hermione wiped her eyes free of tears and watched Myrtle zoom around for a bit then come to hover in front of her

"Listen, Hermione, listen to someone who knows what it's like. I would do anything to be like you, even for a day. If I were you I'd smile all the time. I wouldn't waste time hiding, or being angry. You only get one life and most people don't seem to realise that. So get out and start living it so I can wallow in my sorrows." Hermione could almost swear that she saw Myrtle smile as the ghost swooped away. 

* * * * * 

She still didn't feel ready to face Ron and Harry though, so Hermione made her way to the library. Madam Pince wasn't there, but Hermione had a special pass enabling her to enter the library whenever she wished. So she made her way to a table at the back. Someone was already sitting there and it was the last person anyone expected to see in a library.  Cho Chang wasn't really known for her academic skills but for her Quidditch ones. She wasn't stupid but not one of the top students either. The Chinese girl looked up as she entered

"Oh, it's Hermione Granger isn't it?"

"Yes, hi Cho." Hermione sat opposite the Ravenclaw who held up some parchment 

"My muggle studies homework. An essay on the postal service." 

"Do you want some help?" Hermione offered Cho smiled

"Thanks! But… where are Harry and Ron? I thought you always stuck together." 

"That was before they forgot my birthday is tomorrow." Hermione said coolly. Cho looked shocked

"That's terrible! They really forgot?"

"Yes. I think so anyway. I mentioned birthdays and they were completely oblivious. I mentioned presents and they started talking about Quidditch! I'd say they forgot!" Cho frowned and said

"Hang on a minute." Ands dug into her bag, eventually producing a small cake.

"I took this from the dinner table for later on." She took a pencil and transfigured it into a candle, lit it with her wand and stuck it in the cake. Hermione frowned and Cho grinned

"Make a birthday wish then!" Hermione closed her eyes and thought about all the things she could wish for. The defeat of Voldemort, muggles and wizards living in harmony etc etc. 

Then she thought of something perfect. Something she knew would be perfect if it came true. The one thing that would make her so happy for years to come and opened her eyes

"Got it." She blew out the candle and turned back to Cho.

"Let's get on with that essay, shall we?" 

* * * * *

Hermione woke early the next morning, because an owl had dropped a heavy package on her head. That sort of thing tends to make one sit up and scream, which she did. She glared at the owl and looked at the parcel. It was wrapped in brown paper and was unlabelled. Hermione tore off the wrapping and found inside…

A book.

How original.

She turned it over to look at the cover and found something that shocked her. On the cover was a picture of herself standing with Hagrid, Remus and Dobby. Looking at the title she read

__

Justice in the Magical world 

__

By Hermione Granger 

What the hell? Then Hermione remembered this. Last year, after Rita Skeeter's article 

about Hagrid Hermione had started righting a book about the rights of houselves, giants and werewolves, in the hope of reversing the opinions of her fellow wizards. She had lost it near the end of the year and hadn't given it much thought. She opened the cover and saw a few paragraphs written in messy handwriting.

To anyone who might think about buying this book. 

Beware! Hermione Granger is an amazing person and after reading this book your life as you know it will be completely upside down. She has already changed ours, and it was definitely for the better. No matter what your opinion on Giant or werewolf, you will never think about anything the same way again. Forget it. You haven't got a chance. 

We mean it you know. 

And all that is left to say is Happy Birthday to the most important girl in our lives. There'll never be anyone just like you Hermione. 

All our love

Harry & Ron. 

And under this message came a long line of notes from every member of the Gryffindor house. She read the first few

Dear Hermione,

Keep up the good work. We'll need it when it Get's to exam time! 

Seamus and Dean.

~*~

Dear Hermione

Sorry about the accident in potions. I didn't mean for you to get all that hair coming through your nose honest. Happy Birthday

Neville

~*~

Hermione!

We both foresee a bright and happy future for the birthday girl! 

Luv

Parvati and Lavender

~*~

Dear Hermione

Ignore my brothers and keep on smiling! J

Love Ginny.

~*~

Hermione

Watch out for the cake! We think we got most of the explosives out but you can never be sure

From Gred and Forge. 

Hermione had to stop there as her eyes were filling up with tears. They hadn't forgotten her birthday after all! She jumped out of bed and ran up to the boy's dormitory. They were asleep, as normal people were at 6: 32 on a Saturday morning. But Hermione jumped onto Ron's bed and hugged him tight.  A little too tight, perhaps as he woke up and started choking. Harry turned over, put on his glasses and smiled at the sight of Hermione in her teddy bear clad pyjama's hugging Ron. Then Hermione bounded onto his bed and hugged him too. Ron smiled

"I take it you like your present then?"

"It's perfect! Thankyou so much guys! Oh, I love you both so much!" Soon most of Gryffindor tower was awake and in the common room. Lavender and Parvati were talking loudly and giggling with Hermione and Ginny until one of them knocked their crystal ball of the table. Then they went into a state of grieving. Fred and George let off several filibuster fireworks and the bys launched into a large conversation about the Quidditch cup.  Harry asked

"Where did you go yesterday Herm?"

"I went to see Moaning Myrtle at first. We had a talk about life and death and stuff."

"How long did she keep you busy?" 

"Fifteen minutes maybe. Why?"

"Ron, I win!" Harry crowed. Ron looked disgusted. Hermione looked from to the other.   

"What's going on?"

"We had a bet. We asked Myrtle to keep you busy while we read the reply from the editor, asking for the first copy of your book. She had to do anything to keep you busy, and we suggested something miserable, since she can talk for hours at a time about that. Anyway, my bet was from five minutes to twenty minutes, Ron, from twenty plus. So now Ron has to do anything you want him to all day." Hermione grinned wickedly and said

"Fine, Ron?" 

"What?" He asked, almost fearfully. Hermione grinned

"I want you to write to Viktor Krum and tell him that him and I are history."

"What? You're really breaking up with him?"

"Yes! I didn't like him that much anyway. And he really did forget my birthday. I can't forgive that!" Ron started writing when they sat at the breakfast table. Cho Chang came over and Harry blushed. Cho said

"Happy Birthday Hermione! Did your wish come true?" 

"Yup. Thanks Cho. Harry oxygen is necessity of a life. I suggest you use it." She said calmly. Harry, who had been unconsciously holding his breath, let it out. Cho asked suddenly

"Hermione, what was your wish?" Hermione smiled secretly to herself and said she couldn't tell. Happy Birthday, she thought to herself happily. 

No one need ever know that her wish had been that Lavender and Parvati's crystal ball would break, after they had kept her up till two in the morning seeing imaginary death omens in it. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I hope you enjoyed it. Not one of my best works, but I'm tired and low on sugar, my fuel of writing. 

To Laura, again.

Happy birthday again. Have the best one ever! You deserve it and much more! 

Lotsa luv

Katie

-x- 


End file.
